1. Field of the Disclosure
The disclosure relates generally to apparatus and methods for providing a mat for installation on a sea floor.
2. Description of the Related Art
Mats may be used for marine applications where separation, stabilization, protection and scour prevention is needed for pipelines and other sea floor installations are submerged in water. The mats provide resistance to hydrodynamic forces caused by currents along a sea floor, where the forces can move and/or damage the installed objects. In an example, a pipeline disposed on the sea floor is covered with a mat to stabilize the pipeline beneath the weight of the mat to resist sea floor currents.
The mats may be formed from cement blocks poured in molds at a manufacturing site. In some cases, the size of the mats is limited due to weight and difficulty moving mats prior to installation on a sea floor. For example, concrete mats may be poured and cured in molds at a manufacturing site, removed from the molds and shipped to a dockside location where a vessel having a crane transports the mats to an installation site. Transportation of the mats from the manufacturing site to the dockside location can be costly due to the weight and size of the mats. The size and weight may also be limited by moving and lifting mechanisms capability to maneuver these objects. Further, a limited choice of options for land transportation may also limit the mat size.
In addition, the vessel used to deploy the mat to the marine installation site is a large cost during installation, where extra time spent at sea can lead to significant expenditures. For example, a vessel may be limited to installing a single mat at a time, due to the finished mat size and/or weight, which can lead to increased installation costs for larger sea floor areas that are to be covered with mats.